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My Blog and I

My name is Diana. I am the blogger behind Offbeat Vagabond. I just
wanted something to help me rant on about things I love or don't quite
love. I am big on books, especially Urban
Fantasy, it is my favorite genre. Any Romance has to be Paranormal,
because love isn't natural without a gun and a beast involved. Although my tastes are very much expanding, I have discovered a love for Contemporary even BDSM (shocking!) I love
movies. Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror/Action, pretty much anything as long as no
Romantic Comedies are involved (Katherine Heigl, you have been warned).
Music, TV, Wrestling are all my things as well (although I haven't been watching Wrestling as much as I used to). I am doing this for fun. I want to
write on a professional front, so blogging is a good stepping stone for
me. I just hope that stone doesn't have moss and I slip and break
something. So join me in my little piece of the Internet and remember,
it is normal to be abnormal

What could go wrong in the 14th-century for three time-traveling teens? How about – EVERYTHING!

Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln, three teens from the 24th century, are
trapped in 14th-century Verona, Italy. They’ve survived many deadly
experiences by keeping their wits about them and by introducing
futuristic technology into the past. Principal among these inventions is
the telescope, which brought them to the attention of the rich and
powerful.

But standing out can get you into unexpected and dangerous
situations. The nobles of Verona now believe Hansum is a savant, a
genius inventor, especially after he brings them plans for advanced
cannons and black powder. Being the center of attention is great, but
the potential for trouble is now exponentially greater because people
are watching Hansum’s every move.

Meanwhile, artistic genius Shamira has fallen for a Florentine artist
with bloody and disastrous consequences. Lincoln, considered an
incompetent back home in the 24th-century, has blossomed – at least
until he’s shot in the head with an arrow. And Hansum, after secretly
marrying his new master’s beautiful daughter, Guilietta, is offered the
hand in marriage of lady Beatrice, daughter of the ruler of Verona. To
refuse could mean calamity for all the teens.

Amazingly, none of this is their biggest challenge. Because a rash
illness is spreading across Verona – and it is threatening to consume
everyone.

Do they have a future in this past?

*********************************************

The Bronze
and The Brimstone is the second book in the Verona Trilogy. This time around we
follow the gang as we see how they are successfully surviving in 14th
century Italy.
Hansum is seen as a genius inventor and everyone wants to pick his brain for
his inventions for war. Shamira and Lincoln are also doing well and thriving.
But all the success brings more than they bargain for when they start to see
the ugly side of success. Not only does Hansum have to figure out a way to keep
the Podesta happy, but he must keep the Master of the house happy. He loves and
wants to marry his daughter, Guiletta, but neither the Podest nor the Master
will accept. And to make things worse, given the time period and where they
are, the Black Plague is soon to be on them. They don’t even know the beginning
of horror yet.

What an
amazing sequel. This was even better than the first book. It was so exciting and
quite the rollercoaster. There were definitely a few tears from me. I loved the
gang even more this time around. They were so immature in the first book. I
love how much they have grown and accepted their situation. They could have
easily gone around moping around, wanting everyone to do the work for them. In
this book, we mainly follow Hansum aka Romero. I was most satisfied with his
progress from the first book. He was just so spoiled. We also still have Pan.
He is the chip that helps guide the group and tells them about the inventions
that will help them succeed. I am so happy they had Pan. If not for him, I can
not imagine how these guys would survive, mainly Hansum. With Hansum’s success,
he is beginning to see the ugly side of those he works with and how easily
people can turn on you if they don’t get what they want.

There were
amazing plot twists in this book. The main one at the end I kind of had a
feeling about. It just wouldn’t have made sense otherwise if you think about
it. But there were many other things that I didn’t see coming. The Podesta is
so desperate to get more of Hansum’s genius; he did something absolutely awful
in this book that resulted in something even more terrible happening. This was
weird for me because Hansum’s reaction to it wasn’t what it should have been. I
would have done something. That was just unforgivable and it was all due to his
selfishness. I don’t think the Podesta is evil per se, but he looks out for
number one and that is it. There is even a story with Father Lorenzo. Oh my
goodness, I could rant about him all day. I couldn’t believe him especially in
the end. Wow!

This book
was an exciting read from beginning to end. I was never bored and Kaufman really
through a lot of incredible loops at us. Again, there were tears and laughs. I
felt quite a connection with the characters. We do get a little more of the
side characters in this book, but not nearly enough for me. But I still loved
the book. You really won’t believe where this book goes. Highly recommend this
read for those looking for a unique kind of science fiction. I love the world
set in the past. I actually feel like I am there, Kaufman does such a great job
bringing it to life. Definitely check this trilogy out.

I write Post-Dystopian
fiction. After society’s collapse, which is imagined in so many great
dystopian stories, humans will either fade into history, with the
dinosaurs, or, if it learns the right lessons, society will go on to
construct a civilization to last tens of thousands of years. History
Camp stories are the exciting adventures of young people doing the
latter." -Lory Kaufman

On the artistic side of my career, I've
written, acted and directed children’s theatre and musical theatre. I
enjoy art, especially sculpture. I love science fiction and historical
fiction and have been deeply involved in the green movement all across
North America. I think all these thing show through when you read my
work. I have three grown children and work and live in Kingston,

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Due to the daily spam comments I have been getting lately and to avoid the annoying word verification, Anonymous comments are no more. I do not want bargains on bags, watches, jerseys, boots and other crap. Geez, they could at least spam me with book and movie stuff, I would be somewhat interested LOL! Thank you :D